New legal service goes beyond “checking the box”

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (March 16, 2018) – In the wake of the #metoo movement, Nilan Johnson Lewis (NJL), a premier national law firm based in Minneapolis, introduces a legal service offering focused on anti-harassment for employers of all types and sizes, customized to each specific employer. NJL’s new service goes beyond “checking the box,” and helps organizations take proactive steps to address unhealthy workplace cultures, prevent sexual harassment, and respond promptly and decisively should it occur.

The program is built on the belief that a strong anti-harassment program contributes to brand reputation, employee productivity, and recruiting and retention of talent. While typical trainings can overlook workplace culture or other institutional factors that contribute to harassment being under- or unreported, NJL’s offering recognizes that true organizational change occurs only when employers take a holistic approach to diagnosis, intervention, and follow-up.

“Our focus goes beyond cookie-cutter approaches, using investigative and corrective policies that highlight organizational characteristics that may breed a culture of harassment; we then partner with the employer to implement corrective measures for a customized anti-harassment program,” stated Jen Cornell, shareholder at Nilan Johnson Lewis and member of the firm’s anti-harassment team.

Nilan Johnson Lewis offers five areas for companies to evaluate and improve their workplace culture that address all aspects of employees’ experience.

Workplace Culture Assessment– NJL conducts customized assessments of the workplace, which can include auditing current policies and practices; analyzing harassment reports, charges, and lawsuits; interviewing key leaders; and surveying the general workforce about characteristics involving workforce homogeneity, power disparities between working groups, coarseness of social discourse, and the authenticity of open-door reporting policies.

Culture Category Diagnosis – Employers tend to fall into one of four categories when assessing how comfortable employees feel about reporting sexual harassment. NJL helps organizations benchmark their risk profile, ranging from toxic to healthy.

Customized Training – This live, interactive, and potentially bilingual training meets applicable state law requirements for sexual harassment training and assists companies with investigations and defense of potential claims.

Workplace Survey – NJL combines its customized training with confidential and anonymous workplace surveys to uncover particular risk areas, expose potential offenders, and gauge how well the lessons learned in training were adopted.

Investigation and Remediation – When appropriate and necessary, NJL assists companies investigating specific allegations or risks of harassment uncovered through assessment and training, guiding remedial measures and aiming to reinforce and improve workplace culture. The firm can also help coordinate and collaborate with media and public relations if the need arises.

Individuals interested to learn more about this new offering, or attorneys wishing to institute the program, can visit www.nilanjohnson.com.

About Nilan Johnson Lewis

Founded in 1996, Nilan Johnson Lewis (www.nilanjohnson.com) has built a practice grounded in excellence and value. Through its Total Partnership approach to client relationships, Nilan Johnson Lewis delivers exceptional results for its clients’ businesses. The firm focuses on five areas of law: labor and employment, health care, product liability/mass tort litigation, commercial litigation and corporate and transactional services.